With brother in ICE detention, Bluffton woman loses $7,000 to immigration scam
A Bluffton woman whose brother is in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody was scammed out of nearly $7,000 in a scheme that started June 4, according to a report from the Bluffton Police Department.
In an effort to get her brother released from immigration detention, the victim reached out to someone who claimed to be an immigration attorney named Jannett Cardiel through a Facebook group called ‘La liga Defensora EU,’ the victim’s lawyer told police.
Cardiel is a real attorney licensed to practice in California, but the person behind the Facebook group was not her, Cardiel confirmed to the Island Packet Wednesday.
The scammer sent the victim approval notices, an order from an immigration judge and a fraudulent exit ticket showing her brother had been released from ICE custody, even though he was not, the police report said.
The victim sent the scammer $1,450 for processing paperwork, $1,236 for a fine, $3,250 for posting bond and $1,000 in attorney fees. The victim told the police that she had not heard from the scammer since sending the money, which prompted the report.
Cardiel spoke to the Island Packet on a phone call and said her firm, The United Firm, La Liga Defensora A.P.C, was aware of the impersonation scam and had reported it to the proper authorities. She also said the firm does not operate in South Carolina.
The victim’s brother has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since June 9, after being arrested in Fitzgerald, Georgia June 2, the report said.
Scams on the rise
Scams are occurring more frequently across Beaufort County as technology advances and techniques become more sophisticated.
In March, a Bluffton man seeking asylum from Nicaragua lost nearly $7,000 in an impersonation scam. His roommate found a supposed immigration attorney through Facebook, and passed the information along to the victim.
The victim attended a fabricated virtual court hearing and continued to pay the fake attorney throughout the process.
A Hilton Head woman was victim to a scam combining romance and law enforcement impersonation in January. Her supposed “boyfriend” was set to fly from Auburn, Alabama to the Lowcountry to visit. After he didn’t show up, the lady was called by individuals posing as ICE agents who claimed the boyfriend had been detained by ICE agents at the Atlanta airport. The victim sent the scammers $300 in gift cards for his release.
Impersonating law enforcement has been a popular method of scam in the past years, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s increased crackdown on immigration.